Friction-clutch



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet '2.

E. L. STREET.

FRICTION CLUTCH. No. 354,494. Patented Dec. 14, 1886.

Win $8,298 6 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDGAR L. STREET, OF JOHNSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.

FRICTION-CLUTCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 354,494, d t d D cem er14. 1 86.

Application filed July 20, 1886. Serial No. 208,554. (No model.)

To a whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDGAR L. STREET, of Johnstown, in the county ofOambria and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Friction- Clutches; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of thisspecification, and to the figures and letters of reference markedthereon.

My present invention has for its object to improve that classof'friction-clutches used more particularly in connection withhoistingdrums and employing a sliding band or belt as the means ofconnecting the constantly-moving portion of the machinery with the freeportion or drum proper; and the said invention consists in certaindetails of construction and arrangements of parts, whereby the ease ofmanipulation and more perfect control over the drum and load beingoperated upon is secured, all as will be hereinafter more particularlydescribed and claimed.

1n the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of thecomplete clutch, including the operators handle or lever. Fig. 2 is atop plan view showing the double wheel on which the clutch and brakebands operate and the hoisting-drum attached thereto, and Fig. 3 is adetail of the end of the arm carrying the clutching-band.

Similar letters of reference in the several fig ures indicate the sameparts.

The letter A designates the main or power shaft; B, an arm keyed orotherwise securely fastened to the said shaft, carrying upon its out-erend a stud or projection, a, to which one end of the clutching-band isadjustably secured, and a lever, E, to the outer end of which theopposite end of the said clutchingband is secured. To the inner end ofthis lever E is fastened one end of arod, b, the other end of said rodbeing secured to the wheelD, mounted loosely upon the shaft A, but beingturned therewith through the medium of the described connections and thearm B. The inner end of this lever E is made heavy, or has attached toit a weight, 9, preferably made adjustable, in order to regulate itspower, which,

when the device is in motion, tends, by reason of its centrifugal force,to'hold the inner end of the lever out and the clutchingband loosened.

Hinged to a bracket on the base-piece or floor is an arm carrying thebrake-shoe or retarder J, for engagement with wheel D, and manipulatedby the operator through the medium of rod 0, armi on shaft I, lever 61,also on said shaft, rod e, and hand-leverf, pivoted to a bracketpreferably a short distance from the drum. This brake-shoe or retarderJ, in acting upon the periphery of the wheel D, tends to stop itsrotation, and when, as shown in the drawings, the shaft A and arm Brotate toward the right the tendency of the wheel D to stop will drawthe lever E in and tighten the clutching-band around wheel F.

The clutching or friction band 0 passes around in one of the twodepressions in the periphery of wheel F, which latter is connected withthe drum proper eitherv directly or through some intermediate gearing,and together with it revolves independently of the shaft A, save whenthe clutching band is tightened. In the other one of'these twodepressions is a brake-band,G, one end of which is connected to someimmovable object, preferably as shown in Fig. 1, where it is connectedto the bracket H, which also supports the lever d. The opposite end ofthis band is adj ustably connected to an arm, 70, on shaft I, controlledby the operator through the lever d. The hand-lever f is held at any.point of adjustment by means of set-screw Z, operating upon an arm, h,hinged to bracket L. This, however, is not essential, and maybesupplanted by any of the many other well-known equivalents.

Looking now at Figs. 2 and 3, it will be seen that the supports for theclutching-band stand out over the depression in which it works, and thelever carrying one end of said band has a hearing in the end of the armB. In the latadjusted by simply loosening the inner nut and tighteningthe outer one.

The operation of the device will now be perfectly apparent to thoseskilled in the art, and is as follows: We will assume that thepowershaft Ais constantly rotating toward the right. Now, when it isdesired to raise a load or apply the power, the operator grasps thelever f and throws it toward the drum. The result is that the brake orretarder J is applied to wheel D and the latter retarded; thustightening the clutchingband in proportion to the force employed andcausing the rotating of the wheel F and drum or other mechanism attachedto it. When the load has been raised high enough,

i or it is desired to take the power OE and stop the mechanism, thehand-lever is reversed and forced away from the drum, thus releasing theretarding-brakeJ and applying the band-brake G, stopping the wheel F,and, if a hoistingdrum is attached thereto holding the load suspended.Shouldtheloadhaveto belowered, it may be done by easing or lessening thepressure on the hand-lever, and consequently the amount ofbrake-pressure, and allowing the load to descend by gravity.

Should it be desired, the power may be made to do the greater part ofthe work in lowering by simply applying the retarder J very lightly tothe surface of the wheel D.

I do not wish to be limited to the precise form and construction of armsupporting the clutchingband, as it is perfectly obvious that I mayemploy a wheel in its stead, and in that way avoid any of the poundingand wear necessarily incident to the employment of a heavy weight on oneside of a rapidly-revolving shaft.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is- 1. Inafriction-clutch, the combination, with a clutching-band and a wheel towhich it is applied, of mechanism, substantially such as described,rendered operative by friction, to tighten said band, and operated bycentrifugal force to release it, substantially as described.

2. In a friction-clutch, the combination, with a clutching-band held atone end bya support moving therewith and at the opposite end by one endof a lever, and a wheel to which said band is applied, of means,substantially such as described, for moving the other end of said leverin one direction by friction and in the opposite direction bycentrifugal force, substantially as described.

3. In a friction-clutch, the combination, with an arm carrying theclutching-band, a-drum or wheel to which the band is applied, a leversupporting one end of said band, pivoted to the said arm and connectedat one end to a wheel free on the shaft, but turned by said lever, of abrake for application to said wheel to retard its motion, and thus movethe lever in one direction against centrifugal force tending to move itin the opposite direction, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a brake-band held by a stationary support, anda clutching-band operating upon the same wheel, of a lever carrying oneend of the clutching-band, the said lever being weighted and attached toa wheel free on its shaft, whereby when the said wheel is retarded inits motion the lever will be moved and the clutching-bandtightcned,=substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the arm keyed to the shaft and carrying theclutching-band, and the lever for tightening the same, one end of saidlever being pivotally attached to a wheel free upon its shaft, of abrake applied to said wheel to retard its motion and tighten theclutching-band, substantially as described.

6. In a friction-clutch, the combination, with a clutching-bandoperating upon a frictionwheel to which the load is applied, of a levercarrying one end of the clutching-band, said lever being weighted andattached to a wheel free on its shaft, whereby when the said wheel isretarded in its motion the lever will be moved and the clutchingloandtightened, and when released centrifugal force acting upon the weightedlever will release said clutchingband, substantially as described.

77 EDGAR L. STREET.

Witnesses:

J OHN NILSON, CLEMENT F. STREET.

